


One Soul

by CosmicHowl



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Female Frisk, Friendship/Love, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:44:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicHowl/pseuds/CosmicHowl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk and her companions stand on the edge of goodbye as she prepares to give them an ultimate gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [traffycake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/traffycake/gifts).



> It's been a long time since I've written anything to post here, and I appreciate your patience. You may have gathered that the follow-up to my first story never happened, and believe me, there are reasons. That is not a story for here, however, as I'd rather be explaining this new piece.
> 
> This story is the result of a lot of hard plotting that Traffycake and I have done since entering this fandom a short time ago, and I have taken the liberty of attempting to hammer out the most emotional part of it for us and put it into prose format. This is also my gift to her. 
> 
> Much like last time, I have written this entire story while listening to one song, which I recommend as listening music while you read this story. It is from the Beyond: Two Souls Original Soundtrack, the track entitled Childhood Memories (Extended), and I have provided the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N8ec2o7bzM 
> 
> Just saying, you may end up playing it around twice.
> 
> I know that a lot of people in a few places have really been raising hell over some aspects of this fandom, and while I respect differing opinions, I want to say that this is all they are: opinions. This includes my own. With that in mind, I hope that anyone willing to forsake their point of view for the sake of reading this story will enjoy it. And for those who you determined to love it anyways, thank you. <3

It was the sort of quiet that was dense, the kind that swallowed words and anchored bodies with invisible weight. Even the bare motion of respiration was an exhausting one to Frisk, who could barely summon the energy to squirm uncomfortably against the hard chair outside of Alphys' lab. She could only sag back against the wall and peer up at the lightly yellowed ceiling through the narrow slits of her eyes. And the same was true for the others.

 

For her colorful collection of companions, their hues had dimmed into varying shades of slouching in chairs and leaning against walls, but all had one thing in common: their silence. They avoided one another's eyes with almost as much conviction, their solemn stares boring through walls and floors for the most part. Occasionally they would look at one another before quickly darting their focus to the opposite corner of the room. The one gaze they never met was Frisk's.

 

The atmosphere was equally heavy with all of them, though the worst of the burden rested on either side of the child, where sat Toriel and Asgore in that same immune muteness. As the others, the both of them made no noise, still and unmoving as many of the electronic structures in the room. The difference between them, however, was Toriel's tears.

 

The center of Frisk's chest felt heavier with each one that fell, the collective weight belaboring the beats of her heart. She didn't have to look to know that her mother was crying. Toriel was given away with each stunted breath and the tightening of her fingers around the child's with each choked sob, while Asgore simply sat with a steady grip, unreadable. Both of them stared off into nothing, the weight of her decision in each one's expression.

 

All heads raised simultaneously as a resounding “clack” from the nearby metal door announced the arrival of Alphys, tottering into the room and meeting their apprehensive looks with one of uncertainty. She chewed her lip as she met their expectant faces, greeting the room several seconds later with a huff of air as she straightened her posture, stood a little taller.

 

“I-I think everything's ready now,” she announced with a slight tremor in her voice, shrinking back into her slump as she lowered her head. “I've set up all the machines...the computers...” Her fingers gripped limply to the cuffs of her lab coat. “I've gone through all the research documents, too...”

 

Toriel barked a quiet sob from next to Frisk and pressed her face into her free hand, shoulders shuddering as she sank forward under the weight of her heart. A sympathetic Sans leaned nearer from his chair, pressing a bony hand onto her knee and squeezing softly. Frisk rested her other hand on Toriel's as she tried to clasp it and comfort her, though she found it hard to compete with her mother's grief for her attention. Asgore simply closed his eyes and let a long breath seep through his nose.

 

Undyne, who had been quietly observing with folded arms from against the wall, watched the four of them for just a moment before standing up straight, crossing the floor to Alphys and inquiring in a lowered voice, “So what's the probability? That the kid's gonna live through this, I guess.”

 

“Well, uh...” Alphys paused for a moment, eyes shifting up in thought before settling back on Undyne. “It...it depends, really.”

 

The guard gathered her brows. “Depends? What the hell would it depend on?”

 

The scientist took a step back, gathering her coat tightly around her. “W-well...!” she stammered, struggling as she tried to form a cohesive sentence. “I-I...it's...it d-depends on...on which kid, Undyne...! This...this kind of work is very dangerous! Wh-which I'm sure you knew already, because...well...”

 

“Alphys.” Undyne relaxed her expression and pressed her fingertips into one temple, huffing out a long sigh and letting her shoulders sag. “Look, just relax. I'm not trying to give you the third degree or anything, alright? I just...we just need some answers. This is kind of a big freaking deal.” She paused for a moment, lowering her voice even further. “I...didn't mean to snap,” she relented.

 

“No, I...I understand. Really, I do...!” Alphys met her girlfriend with knowing eyes. “It really is a big deal, I know. I guess...I think what I'm trying to say is it depends on...on which kid.”

 

This caught the attention of Mettaton, who raised his head from Papyrus' shoulder, expression crumpled into confusion. “Alphys, darling, I'm afraid I don't understand...”

 

With a few vague hand motions, the scientist nodded and tried again. “Well...you see...from a statistical standpoint, there's...a bigger chance of me reviving him afterward than...me reviving her. It's...it's all a very delicate procedure.” Alphys bit down on her lip again, confidence visibly shaken, only daring to look up when Undyne rested a hand atop her head. “Y-you see...once I've separated the soul in half...it's only going to have a few minutes to fuse back. Because I'll have taken her soul out...her body will be dead for a short time, which means...”

 

Several seconds of silence passed without a word. Undyne leaned down a little closer to her partner. “Alphys?”

 

“W-well...the longer a human body remains non-functioning...the less of a chance there is that they're going to come back after something like that. Especially with her soul becoming that weak. It's...far more likely that I'll be able to awaken Asriel's body with half a soul, because even...even with just half a human soul, it'll still be strong enough for him to survive with, but for her...she'll be weak. For all intents and purposes...if she makes it...” Alphys paused and pressed her hands together. “She'll have a weak soul...like us. Like...like a monster.”

 

It was Papyrus' turn to respond, his mouth hanging open in a gawk. “That's...that's terrible news! Are you suggesting that our Frisk is going to possibly sacrifice herself for a procedure that may not even work completely?”

 

“It's...it's an unpleasant reality, yes!” Alphys defended, “but it's a reality nonetheless! This...sort of thing doesn't just happen without risks! I've never done this before...!” Sounding as defeated as she looked, the reptile hung her head. “I'm not asking you to have faith in me or anything...! I'm just telling you what I know...”

 

Mettaton was on his feet in an instant, patting the hand of his lover before briskly stepping across the room to Alphys and crouching down to her height. It was the most sympathetic he had looked since he arrived, though he had been very vocal about dreading this day just as much as the rest had been in the past. He set one of his cool, metallic hands atop Alphys' shoulder.

 

“Of course we have faith in you, my darling Alphys. Faith in anyone else regarding these matters would simply be...” He flicked the fingers of his free hand dismissively. “Misplaced. After all, someone who built this remarkable body of mine can't be any less than brilliant! I don't believe for a minute that anyone here doubts your abilities, love. We're all just a little...” He paused to think of a word he'd never used before, several seconds passing once again in that same tense silence.

 

“...Afraid.”

 

Several heads in the room turned toward the chairs across the room, though the voice had not come from any of Frisk's friends. It had come from Frisk herself.

 

Toriel glanced down with wet eyes, folding her other hand over Frisk's. “My child, if you are afraid...I would love nothing more than to bring you home with me again. We can live in the ruins together, you and I...”

 

The small child shook her head and buried her cheek against Toriel's sleeve. “I know you're afraid, too, Mom. Everybody is. And I am, too.” She inclined her head to meet her mother's misty eyes. “But I want to.”

 

“Child...” Asgore appended, eyes heavy with worry. “This sacrifice that you want to make...you must understand. Our son...we mourn for him every day. His death is something we despise but have accepted...we know what we have lost.” Setting a large hand upon Frisk's back, he pled, “We still have you. We can't bear to lose what we have to risk retrieving...what we may never retrieve.”

 

Frisk listened with silent respect as Asgore spoke, eyes trained on him as she kept her face tilted up, following the movements of his lips. As he fell silent, however, she opened her mouth once again, quiet voice filling the empty room:

 

“I can't fix what the humans did a long time ago. There isn't enough of me to break the barrier and let you all go back. I can't bring back all the monsters that died trying to protect you. I can't fix anything like that.” She clutched tighter to the sniffling Toriel's hand. “But I can try to bring back the one who really matters.” Her small body deflated with a soft sigh. “I want to give Asriel back so Chara doesn't win anymore.”

 

Silence overtook the room again as the gravity of her words sank in. It was clear what she wanted to do, and as much as anyone wanted to try, they were helpless to change her mind. There was sadness in various stages developing around the room, from quiet skeletal frowns to stray robotic tears to disconsolate mother's sobs. Even from their corner of the room near the door, Undyne clenched her face into a closed-eyed scowl as she and Alphys gripped hands.

 

Frisk lowered her head, feeling the heaviness of her failure. No matter how she tried, there was no comfort to be had in the face of her mortality, and now it was time to go. She carefully let go of Toriel's warm hands and slid from the chair, crossing the room to Alphys.

 

“...I'm ready to fix things.”

 

This did nothing but yank the bitter tears from the scientist, too, as she choked back a soft sob of her own, leaning against Undyne's arm as she tried to keep a grip “Frisk...are you sure?”

 

“I'm sure,” the little girl replied, putting on her bravest face as Undyne hesitantly leaned down and picked her up. The gurney was ready next to them, though for several long seconds, it seemed that the guard couldn't summon the courage to put her down onto the sheets, instead letting her own courage fall to shards as she pulled Frisk to her chest just briefly before finally setting her down. She looked as dissatisfied and heartbroken as the others, but her fortitude still outlasted the rest.

 

“I guess this is it then,” the aquatic figure said with overbearing finality, hand resting on the metal bars of the bed.

 

With a nod, Frisk reclined herself back onto the surface, just barely bringing her head to rest on the thin pillow before suddenly lifting it back up. “Mettaton?”

 

His trim, metallic form stepped up to her opposite side, fingers delicately stroking at her hair. “What do you need, darling?”

 

She savored the comfort of his touch, and for just a split second, she forgot to speak, lost in the last affection of the moment. When she came back to herself, however, she was met with his puzzled expression, his fingers separating through the strands of her hair in a slow, calculated manner.

 

“Frisk, love? What is it?”

 

Her eyes fell to the blankets. “If you see Blooky...tell him I said hi.”

 

“No need...” came a somber voice from the lab's doorway, Frisk whipping her head around just in time to see his ethereal form peeking out at her. “Of course, if you don't want me to be here, I can go...”

 

“No, Blooky!” The child's voice rose almost desperately, reaching for him as he drew closer to her side, floating just next to Mettaton. “I missed you...I thought you weren't coming.”

 

His ghostly figure bobbed lightly in place. “I have a reason to come when the reason is you...” As insubstantial as his form was, he brushed over her, sending a strangely comforting chill down her spine – a ghost hug. “I didn't come to say goodbye, though.” He weaved through the air slowly as he spoke. “I'll be there with you. I thought maybe...if your soul had another soul to talk to...maybe it wouldn't give up when it's cut in two...”

 

Frisk's eyes filled with tears, beaming the first smile she'd smiled all day. “Thank you, Blooky...”

 

“I'll see you when you wake up,” he promised, the slightest hint of a smile crossing his ghostly lips. “I'll be right here the whole time.”

 

The tensions in the room seemed to be settling, although the base of their fears would be present until the worst was over. It was to be expected; Frisk knew that. But knowing that someone had a little faith in her survival only made her decision more concrete. She rested her head again and breathed out. “Okay. I'm really ready now.”

 

Recovered from her own crippling grief, Alphys squared her shoulders back and straightened her posture, scooting herself to the head of the gurney. “Good luck, Frisk. I...I promise I'll do everything I can. I'm...determined.”

 

One more smile from Frisk. “I have faith.” The bed lurched forward as it turned and crossed the threshold, and as she listened to the last goodbyes of her family and friends disappearing into the hum of the new room, she felt the pressure of a mask going over her nose and mouth.

 

It would be okay. It would have to be. Even if she didn't come back, the right person would be coming home. He could run through the ruins and pick flowers again. Once more, he would smell the sweet essence of Toriel's cinnamon and butterscotch pie. The fire could warm him as he sat by his mother's feet. He could be comforted by her voice once more as she read to him, day sinking into night...

 

She fought the UV lights as she began to fall asleep.

 


End file.
